Trump Declares United States ‘Closed’

President Donald Trump is growing increasingly agitated by Homeland Security and it’s inability to keep all immigrants out of the United States. In a meeting earlier in the month with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump and his administration griped about her performance and blamed her for a surge in illegal border crossings. Nielsen was alleged defended by Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Trump and Kelly, according to the Denver Post, sparred over Nielsen’s performance as she watched the fight unfold. The POTUS made the argument that illegal immigration numbers were lower under Kelly while lamenting why the surge was occurring.

The Denver Post says Trump has become growingly frustrated by the fact that border crossing are occurring at a faster rate. As the President has come under attack from conservatives his go-to move has been to lash out.

Not The First Time

Sadly, this isn’t the first time Trump has lashed out at Nielsen in recent months. In early May the President lashed out at her in front of his entire cabinet. “We’re closed!” Trump yelled as lawmakers watched. The President’s own aides looked incredibly uncomfortable during his tirade.

Kelly, in the meantime, has become a sort of proxy between Trump and Nielsen, often serving as a buffer between their talks.

Nielsen has stated very clearly that she doesn’t believe President Trump understands any of the nuances of immigration law and prefers to shoot from the hip with promises that will satisfy his base of anti-immigration supporters. “The president has a very rudimentary understanding of what the border is all about and how you secure it,” a former DHS staffer told The Denver Post. “And she’s also not one of the border fire-eaters that have his ear right now. She’s in an impossible, no-win situation.”

In the meantime, Trump continues to secure the fund necessary to build on his promise of a border wall between the United States and Mexico, a promise that has so far fallen vastly short of its goals.